Cabinet air heater



Oct. 13, 1931. J. M. FRANK ET AL CABINET AIR HEATER Filed Aug. 8, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 OCL 13, 1931. J, M, FRANK ET AL n 1,827,512

CABINET AIR HEATER Filed Aug. 8, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 im) 5.- Johm/ J7. Ffa/w10,

@clin/C110' Patented Oct. 13, 1931 PAENT orifice JOHN M. FRANK AND STANLEY STACK, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNORS TO ILG ELECTRIC VENTILATING COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF LOUISIANA CABINET AIR HEATER Application filed August B, 1929. Serial No. 384,345.

- rlhis invention relates to unit air heaters more especially designed for house heating, but of course capable of general application. A somewhat recent type of heating unit that has been designed with a view to economy of space in small rooms consists of a cabinet which fits into and occupies a recess in a wall of the room to be heated thereby.' The front of the cabinet is substantially flush with the surface of the wall, and the openings in the front of the cabinet through whichthe air is drawn into and expelled from the cabinet, are covered by an ornamental grill. Within the cabinet is mounted anI air heating element, such as a steam coil or radiator, and an air moving device, such as an electric fan, which draws air in through the lower opening, propels it upwardly over the heater, and expels it through the upper opening into the room; all the parts except the front wall `or cover of the cabinet being concealed from view and occupying none of the space of the room. n

Our present invention're'lates to this eneral type of air heater, whether located 1n a wall recess or in the room itself, and has for its general object to improve the construction and enhance the desirability and eliciency of the unit. Other more specific objects are, to provide a construction that may be adjusted to varying heights and widths, to provide an arrangement wherein the air will be drawn, instead of pushed, upwardly over the heater, to provide in the cabinet one or more side passages that will allow the warm air to flow out throu h the natural chimney effect unobstructe by the fan and motor when the latter may be idle, and will also prevent short circuiting of the air by the fan and motor and cause the air to be siphoned out of the side passage or passages by the partial vacuum cre-ated by the fan in front of said passage or passages, to provide improved means for humidifying the air, to provide improved means for filling the humidifier, and to provide improved means for preventing overheating of the fan motor.

Still further objects and attendant advantages oftheinvention will be apparent to those skilled in the art as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein we have illustrated an approved embodiment of the invention and in which- F ig. 1 is a front elevation, showing the cabinet heater mounted in a recess in a wall.

Fig. 2 is an edge elevation, viewed from the right of Fig. 1, and partly in central vertical section.

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the upper portion of the cabinet with the grill plates removed to show the interior construction.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on the line 4 4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a top plan View, broken out, of a sectional horizontal frame bar employed in the front wall of the cabinet.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged sectional detail v011 the line 6--6of Fig. 5.

Fig.`7 is an enlarged sectional detail on the line 'Z4- o'Fig. 1.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged sectional detail on the line 8--8 of Fig; 1.

Fig. 9 is a perspective elevation showing the horizontally adjustable sectional units of the upper section of the cabinet in separated position.

'Iliav In the drawings I have illustrated the cabii net heater as occupying a vertical recess 10 inI the wall 11 of a room, but, as previously stated, its use is not limited to such location. With a view to reducing factory cost, I have herein shown the cabinet as constructed in a number of relatively slidable sections which are adjustable both horizontally and vertically so as to enable the cabinet to be assembled 1n varying heights and widths as ordered for corresponding 'heights land widths of wall recesses,or available wall space within a room. For purposes of illustration, ll have shown the cabinet in four vertical sections, the lower three of which are vertically adjustable relatively to each other, and in three horizontally adjustable sections; but', of course, the number of sections employed is immaterial.

The uppermost section, in which the fan and fan motor are housed, comprises a central section 12 and du licate end sections 13, these sections having tlie lforms clearly illustrated in Fig. 9, the central section 12 comprising a back wall 14, a top wall 15, and a depending front Harige 16, and each of the end sections 13 comprising a back wall 17, a top wall 18, a Vertical side wall 19, and flanges 20 and 21 on the front edges of the top and side walls 18 and 19,-respectively. The inner ends of the end sections 13 are telescopable within the ends of the intermediate section 12, as clearly shown in Fig. 3, and the sections may be secured together by bolts or rivets passed through holes 22 and 23 in the end sections registering with any ot a series of holes 24 and 25 in the intermediate section.

Secured to and depending from the flange 16 of the intermediate section 12 are a pair of spaced '1-bars 26, and attached to the latter and tothe rear wall 14 of the intermediate section are a pair of transverse partition plates 27, the purpose of which will appear later.

. Located next below the topmost section of the cabinet last described is a section comprising a pair of end sections 28 of horizontal U- shape in cross section, and front and rear flat intermediate plates 29. The end sections 28 and the intermediate plate sections 29 are provided with cooperating bolt or rivet holes 30 and 31 respectively, by which said sections may be assembled in varying widths. Fx-

tending across the upper edges of the sections 28 and 29 and behind the latter is .the frame bar oit shape illustrated in detail in Figs. 5 and 6, and comprising end and intermediate telescoping sections 32 and 33 respectively, that are formed with bolt or rivet holes 34 and 35, respectively, by which said v' 4frame bar may be assembled in varying lengths. A similar lengthwiise adjustable .frame bar designated as an entirety by 36, and shown in Fig. 2, is located on the inner side of the rearwall of the cabinet, and the lower edges of the rear walls of the top seo- .tions 12 and 13 are attached to the frame bar 36, while the upper edges of the sections 28 and 29 are similarly attached to both of the frame bars.

Next underlying the cabinet section comprising the units 28 and 29 is a similar section comprising similar end and intermediate units 37 and 38 respectively (see Fig. 4) which are adjustable width-wise of the cabinet with the same means` and in the same manner as the sections 28 and 29. rlhese sec-` tions are also as a whole vertically adjustable relatively to the superposed sections by means of rivet or bolt holes 39 cooperating with the rivet or bolt holes 30 and 31.

The lowermost sectional unit of the cabinet comprises end and intermediate sections 40 and 41 respectively, in all respect similar to theA sections 28 and 29 and 37 and 38; the sections 40 being adjustable width-wise of the cabinet by means of cooperating bolt or rivet holes 42 and 43 in the sections 40 and Learners 41, respectively, and also being vertically adjustable relatively to the next upper sections 37 and 38 through the provision oit bolt or rivet holes 44 in the sections 37 cooperating with the holes 42 in the sections 40.

rllhe transverse walls of the vertically telescoping sections 28, 37 and 4() may also be provided with vertically spaced cooperating bolt or rivet holes, by which said walls may be united at varying relative heights.

At points where the Walls 40, 41, 37 and 38 all overlap each other there are, of course, four lapping thicknesses of metal; as is illustrated in the sectional views Figs. 7 and 8; but since the sheet metal employed is thin and flexible, the lapping portions are readily bent so as to avoid any appreciable air gaps or cracks between the overlapping plates in the vicinity of the quadruple lapped joints.

The front walls of the sections 40 are cut away throughout their lower portions, and the intermediate front plate 41 is similarly shortened, thereby producing in the front wall of the casing a lower opening designated as an entirety by 45, that is covered by a grill plate 46. The omission of front walls on the topmost sections 12 and 13 creates a transversely extending upper opening designated as an entirety by 47 in the cabinet, which opening is covered by an intermediate grill plate 48 and end grill plates 49. The grill plates 49 are attached at their upper edges to the flanges 16 and 2O ot the top sections 12 and 13, and at their lower edges to the frame bar 33. The intermediate grill plate 48 is hinged, as shown at 5() in Fig. 1, to the adjacent vertical edge of one of the grill plates 49, so as to be capable of swinging outwardly.

- Mounted on the rear side of the central grill plate 48 is a propeller fan 51 and an electric motor'52 for driving the same; the fan and motor being supported by tubular arms 53, the outer ends ofsaid arms being attached to the grill plate 48. rll`he inner ends of the tubular arms l53 communicate with the interior of a hood or casing in which the motor is mounted, so that the suction eect of the fan induces streams of cooling air through the tubular arm 53..thus keeping the parts of the motor cool. The grill'plate 48 is normally maintained closed by a suitable latch and latch handle, indicated at 54, and by releasing the latter and opening the grill plate, the Jfan and motor may be swung outwardly with the latter into convenient position for inspection, oiling and repairs, when necessary.

Mounted in and extending across the lowermost section of the cabinet, preferably j ust above the lower opening is an air heater in the form of a steam coil- 55 equipped with steam` supply and exhaust pipes 56 and 57, respectively.

Against the rear wall 41 and supported onv a bracket 58 (Fig. 2) is a water pan 59 ttor humidifying the air, which water pan may lll@ be readily filled through a funnel 60, the upper end of which may be attached to the frame bar member 33, said funnel having a long neck -61 extending into the water pan 59. By opening the center panel 48, the pan may be readily filled when required through the funnel.

The `action of the apparatus is readily understandable from the foregoing description of its structure, but may be briefiy outlined as follows.

With steam turned into the heating coil 55, and the fan 51 started in operation, the cooler air at the bottom of the room .is sucked through the lower opening 45, upwardly over the heater 55 by which its temperature is raised, thence upwardly through the cabinet, and out through the'central fan chamber behind the upper opening 47 and through the latter. The partial vacuum created on either side of the fan in front of the grill 49 also sets upan induced current through the side portions of the cabinet; and the presence of the transverse partitions 27 which define r the side walls of the fan chamber prevents the creation of local air currents or short circuits through the side grills 49 to the rear of the fan, and thus limits the entire air circulation to a flow from the bottom to the top of the cabinet. In warm weather when it may be desirable merely to effect a circulation of the air in the room, the heating medium is, of course, cut ofi from the heater 55.

The described sectional character of the cabinet, by which it may be assembled at the factory in varying heights and widths is an important and advantageous feature from a manufacturing standpoint, since it renders unnecessary the building of complete cabinets in a number of different sizes. enabling the different sizes to be assembled from uniform stock sizes of parts, all of which, with the exception of the grill plates 49 and 46, may be of fixed and uniform sizes. The structural details herein disclosed may,` of course, be widely varied without departing from the substance of the invention, or sacrificing any of the advantages thereof, and

.thence I do not limit the invention to the specific structure disclosed, except to the extent clearly indicated in specific claims, but reserve all such variations, modifications and mechanical equivalents as fall within the spirit and purview of the claims.

We claim:

1. In a cabinet air heater, the combination of an upright cabinet formed with upper and lower openings in its front wall, a heating element mounted in said cabinet, a fan and fan motor mounted in said cabinet opposite said upper opening and of less width than xthe latter, and a transverse partition in sald cabinet at one'side of said fan and motor, said. partition extending across said upper opening.

2. In a cabinet air heater, the combination of an upright cabinet formed with upper and lower openings in itsv front wall, a heating element mounted in said cabinet, a fan and fan motor mounted in said cabinet opposite said upper opening and substantially midwidth of the latter, and transverse partitions in said cabinet at the respective sides of said fan and motor, said partitions;

extending across said upper o ening.

3. In an air circulatin evice, the coml the introduction of cooling air to the motor under the suction efi'ect of the fan.

. 4. In an air circulating device, 'the combination of an upright cabinet formed' of sections vertically adjustable relatively to each other to vary the hei ht of said cabinet, the front Wall of sai cabinet having upper and lower openings, and a fan and fan motor mounted in said cabinet and operating to move air through said lower opening and expel the same throughsaid upper opening.

5. In an air circulating device, the combination of an upright cabinet formed of lapping sections both vertically and horizontally adjustable relatively to each other Where by to vary the height and Width of said cabinet, the front -wall of said cabinet having upper and lower openings, and a fan and fan motor mounted in said cabinet and operating to move air through said lower opening and expel the same through said upper l opening.

6. In a device for circulating and humidifying air, the combination of an upright cabinet formed with upper and lower openings in its front wall, a water pan mounted i-n said cabinet between said openings, a filling tube for said pan extending from said upper opening downwardly into said pan, and a fan and fan motor mounted in said cabinet opposite said upper opening and operating to draw air through said lower opening and over said water holder, and expel the same through said upper opening.

7. In a cabinet air heater and humidifier of the type described, the combination of an upright cabinet formed with upper and draw air through said lower opening over said heating elemient and water pan, and eirpel the same through said upperv opening.

8. lin a cabinet air heater and humidifier of the type described, the combination oil an upright cabinet formed with up er and i lower openings in its front wall, a eating element mounted in said cabinet above said lower opening, a water pan mounted in said cabinet above said heating element, a lling tube for said pan extending from said upper opening downwardly vinto said pan, and a fan and tan motor mounted in said cabinet behind said upper opening and operating to draw air through said lower opening over said heating element and water pan, and en pel the same through said upper openin 9. lln a cabinet air heater and humi ier ofthe type described, the combination oi an upright cabinet formed with upper and lower openings in its iront wall, a hingedgrill covering said upper opening, a heating element mounted in said cabinet above said lower opening, a water pan mounted in said cabinet above said heating elemlent, a filling tube for said pan extendlng from said upper opening downwardly into said pan, and a fan and fan motor mounted on the rear side of said hin ed grill and operating to draw air throug sald lower opening over said heating element and water pan, and expel the same through said upper opening and grill.

JHN M. FRANK. STANLEY STACK.

:remera 

